Dragons Tear
by Bless-Bunneh
Summary: Saul is a lonely student at Hogwarts, and he has a special gift that he chooses to keep a seret. Untill he meets another who shares the same gift. Chapter 2 is here!! Yay!
1. Chapter 1

**~** One **~**  
  
"Imagine now, if you would, that Voldemort is back in power. Stronger and more terrible than before. You don't know who your friends are, you don't know who's out to get you. People, both muggles and wizards die everyday in mass killings, the dark arts is rife! It's my job to take as many of those dirty traitors and make sure they don't get away with it!"  
  
Freddicus Snippit, the new defense against the dark arts teacher gestured dramatically to the class and went boldly onwards with his rather self flattering speech. "So you see class, that is why we must teach you now. The darks arts is a foul and dirty magic, and these fools who follow Voldemort won't play fair! No wizard's duel! No warning! They will most likely get you in the back..BANG! Like that!"  
  
The whole class jumped as one, and then nervously resumed taking notes. All except one. One student wasn't taking notes. He stared blankly up at Professor Snippet with his chin resting in one hand, the other hand was doodling on parchment absently. His usually shining blue ice eyes looked faded and dull. Over his eyes was the occasional wisp of his silver gray hair, which always seemed messy and some days spiky. Most students found his silver hair so unusual, and joked when he was young he was frightened almost to death, and that's why his hair was now 'gray'. His skin was a soft white, smooth and pale. It was often rumored he had Vila somewhere in his family bloodline, but nobody could be sure. His name was Saul , 6th year Hogwarts student. Eldest in his year at 17, he was a loner. Sure he was most attractive and many girls admired him, but not enough to bother with being his friends (too scared to approach?), and the boys in his class resented his good looks and took his shy side to be snobbish.  
  
"And that." Snippet wafted his wand menacingly at an imaginary dark wizard "is how you use the Entrapment Spell. I caught many a Death Eater with this! Sent them right to Azkaban, oh yes!" He boasted. Saul thought how unlikely it was he really caught many Death Eaters. The Professor looked, well, for want of a better word, weedy. He was tall, his robes hung off him like a badly fitted sack, and he could only manage to muster a few whispers of beard on his very weak chin. Saul thought he looked pathetic.  
  
"Sir?" A girl in his class, a Gryffindor called Granger lifted her hand and waved it urgently.  
  
"Err, Yes Miss Granger?"  
  
"Sir, I read that a lot of dark wizards went to Azkaban without even a trial. Well, how did you know, for sure? What if you send an innocent to Azkaban?"  
  
Saul turned about in his chair and stared at the Granger girl. This where exactly his own thoughts at the time. He often treated Ministry members with contempt and scorn, many of his family, friends and his parents where in Azkaban. Being in Slytherin it seemed was sometimes good enough evidence on its own to throw a wizard or witch into Azkaban.  
  
"Well," Snippet fingered the end of his wand, and spoke slowly, as is choosing each word with the greatest care. "In those days, Miss Granger, and yes, even now in these dark times we live in. We have to protect what is good. You let an 'innocent' go free today, and tomorrow you could have mass Muggle killings, like those supposed 'terrorist bombs' in London last week. So you see! We must take a risk at the cost of one, to protect the many."  
  
"Sir?" Her hand was up again. "Why is dark arts banned? Surly it's the dark wizard who makes it bad and not the magic itself?"  
  
Saul gaped. Was this Gryffindor some sort of mind reader? He thought it safe not to think any bad or rude thoughts whilst she was about, just in case.  
  
"Dark arts is forbidden! That is all you need to know! Now enough irrelevant questions. Open your books to chapter 18 and take notes."  
  
The class lapsed again into a suffocating silence. Saul took notes, but his mind buzzed at what the girl had said. It made him so angry that he had to practice his dark arts in the dead of night and alone. And if he was caught they would throw him into Azkaban. Those hot heads at the Ministry, if only they could see that Dark Arts is just as relevant as White Magic. In the muggy classroom Saul yawned and lay his head on his hands, thoughts of his parents swimming through his minds eye.  
  
**  
  
"Mummy! Mummy look! Isn't he pretty?"  
  
"Why Darling! Come look at little Saul! Oh Gods honey! Look!"  
  
A little boy no older than five stood in a sunny garden in what looked like a well lived in country cottage. The cottage was wrapped in white and red roses. The smell of honeysuckle mingled in the soft summer breeze. His hair a soft white with touches of silver, his eyes two blue diamonds, and his smile of excited childish glee. His hands where held out palms up, and above his palms danced a hot orange glow, like pale flames dancing in a ring. But it wasn't the swirl of flames that excited his parents, it was the small faded dragon that writhed inside. No bigger than a fox terrier the dragon snapped it jaws aggressively, but never to the young boy. It was brilliant orange in colour, and its back was covered in a thousand spikes that looked soft to the touch.  
  
"Saul!" The boy's mother hovered close by, but was too frightened to approach. "How, how do you do this?"  
  
"Mummy! The boys in the village where making fun of me. Calling me names again because of my hair. They pushed me over and they kicked me! It really hurt! I got really angry and next thing I knew Satsuma just came from magic and scared them all away!"  
  
"Satsuma?" Asked the father.  
  
"He told me his name is Satsuma. He said I'm his Master. I think he means we are friends!" He chuckled, smiling lovingly at the dragon.  
  
"Darling," The mother turned to the father "Our baby has such talent! And now he can summon! He's only five! We can never let the ministry know. They would kill him!"  
  
"But Honey! We can't let Saul abandon his gift! He was born with the ability to summon, to deny him that would be a greater crime than to let him continue."  
  
"Then we teach him in secret. No one shall ever know!"  
  
The small boy only half listened to the boring conversations of grown ups. He reached out a finger and ran it over the cool scales of the dragon. Then it suddenly writhed and it seemed as if all the fire and the dragon where sucked into the boys palms. He closed his hands and smiled.  
  
"Satsuma, you won't make fun of me."  
  
**  
  
"Wake up already idiot." A boy kicked Saul's chair, and then walked out of the classroom laughing. Saul yawned again and looked blearily about the room. Professor Snippit was packing up his teaching aids (including what looked like a small sprite in a jar) and most of the students had left. He often had that same dream, it was a memory from a life that seemed so long ago.  
  
"Umm. Are you going to Transfiguration?" Came a rather timid voice. Saul looked around, it was that Gryffindor girl.  
  
"I, ah. I think I'll skip it." He said sleepily.  
  
"Me too. I want to talk with you. Let's go to the library." She stood impatiently and waited for Saul to gather his things. Saul glowered at her on the way. Why should he have to go to the library, he didn't fancy talking to anybody right now. They eventually arrived at the library and the Gryffindor girl sat them down in a private study corner, away from any other students.  
  
"My name is Hermione Granger." She said.  
  
"So?" Saul really wasn't interested, his dream still lingered on his thoughts. He soon took interest when Hermione threw an old and musty newspaper onto the study desk before him. He looked at her then to the paper.  
  
"I found it in Hogsmead Library Its 12 years old. Read this." She flipped it open and stabbed her finger at a small article. Saul picked up the paper and eyed it closely.  
  
... DRAGON WOUNDS VILLAGE BOY..... Locals, in the village of Agalsham, where shocked to hear of a young boy who claims to have been bitten by a Dragon.  
  
"That Saul kid has one, he pulled it out and set it on me." Says young Master Crabbitch, 6 years old.  
  
Ministry officials conducted a thorough search of the accused property, but nothing was found.  
  
"I put it down to childish rumor." Said an official at the scene.  
  
Rumor or fact? Whatever happened something attacked that boy.  
  
...........................  
  
Saul went white as a sheet, and he was pale skinned enough. The effect was quite worrying. This girl, she has been digging up information on him? Does she know about his dark arts? What the fuck is she playing at? He rose threateningly. Hermione held up her hands and laughed nervously.  
  
"Now look! It's not what you think!" She gabbled, getting worried.  
  
"Why are you digging this up? You went to Hogsmead Library specifically to get this? Why?" Saul growled, sitting sown and shaking the paper.  
  
"Look. I'm not going to tell anybody. I know you can summon." Hermione said in a hushed tone. Saul's heart leapt into his throat and his eyes where as wide as saucers.  
  
"Shut the fuck up!" He hissed, and he stormed hurriedly out the library. Hermione smiled apologetically to Madam Pince and rushed out after him.  
  
"Go away!" Saul shouted over his shoulder.  
  
"Wait! At least here me out!" Hermione caught up to him and grabbed his arm.  
  
Saul swirled about and shot her a look that was deadly. This wasn't funny! In this day and age using dark arts could get you thrown into Azkaban, being able to Summon could get you killed. Those idiots at the Ministry are so fucking scared of their own damn shadows that even a hint of dark arts will push them to act rashly. Like with his parents. Saul sighed sadly. "Go on then."  
  
"There is this girl. In Ravenclaw. She came to me for help." Hermione said, in a very low voice, barley a whisper. "She's terrified! Two months ago she said she was sitting in her common room alone, when a rat ran over her foot. She is mortally afraid of them, and she said as she fell back off her chair a water spirit flew from her hands and killed it! Of course she had to explain to another Ravenclaw why his familiar was dead."  
  
"She summons?" Saul pulled Hermione into a shadowed corner.  
  
"Yes. She of course had no idea what happened, so she came to me. Her friends told her I was supposedly clever I guess. Anyway. I remember reading about the ability to summon! I remember reading about a supposed case about it ages ago! Imagine my shock to discover it was you!"  
  
"Your shock? For fucks sake! Tell me about this girl!" Saul gripped her even tighter. Up until now his day had been pretty much as dull and repetitive as every other day at this school. But to learn of another! He ached to talk with her, find out about her summoned guardian and find out about her.  
  
"Why don't you come and meet her!" Hermione snapped, shaking her arm free of Saul's now vice like grip. Saul nodded, and Hermione led him away.  
  
**  
  
They walked quickly, but as silently as possible. They where after all supposed to be in lessons and getting caught would delay them no end. Soon enough Hermione led the impatient Saul to a large painting of a gilded cage of birds. Saul had seen it many times but not really paid much attention to it.  
  
"Under the red ones bill." She said, reaching up and scratching a red song bird under its elongated beak. It chirped softly and the painting swung open. Hermione climbed through and motioned Saul to follow.  
  
What was inside looked like it had been forgotten for centuries. It was dark and gloomy, the windows dulled by ages of dirt and cobwebs. Statues of the four house mascots lined the walls. A vast and dirty bird hewn from stone shadowed them under the spread of its massive wings, marble badgers where piled in the corners, lions engraved on stone shields cluttered under the windows and an impressive stone serpent with what looked like ivory fangs snaked its way up a column next to the far wall. Saul was dumbfounded, and he had to assume this was a storage space for statues no longer needed or past their prime. In the darkness the silhouettes of the many creatures was haunting, and he fancied in the corner of his eye he saw them shift. Looking up he saw that the ceiling was so far off he couldn't even see it. Spooky!  
  
"Tabitha? Are you in here?" Hermione looked about. And Saul saw from behind a large lion a small girl stepped out. She was dressed strangely, even for a Hogwarts student. A black collar hung about her dainty neck, she was squeezed into a tight but smart sleeveless jacket that just stopped about her naval. She wore very short shorts that put Saul more in mind of swimming hot pants. The Ravenclaw Emblem on a shield was stitched onto a back pocket, thigh socks ran down her legs and she wore rather chunky boots. Over all this was draped a black witches robe. But if her odd dress was surprising then her features more so! Saul had to double take, extruding from her short and scruffy blue hair was what looked like a pair of small silky canine ears! Her eyes looked like two wide diamonds and her smile was nervous and meek. Saul figured she was roughly the same age as he was, maybe a little younger.  
  
"Are you the boy Hermione told me about?" She said. Her voice had a hint of a Scottish accent.  
  
"You have ears!" Saul stammered, not minding his manners at all.  
  
"Idiot!" Hermione punched him roughly on the arm. "Have you never noticed her about before? Tabitha is part werewolf."  
  
"Oh." He said, still staring at Tabitha.  
  
"I want to show you something." Tabitha stepped forward and Saul was sure he saw a tail swishing inside her robes. She held out her small hand. "Watch!" And suddenly a translucent blue water like a ghostly liquid mercury spiraled from her palm. From inside the water there was what looked like part dragon part wolf, composed entirely of water and with a mane of purest white spikes. She looked up into Saul's eyes. His gaze was fixed squarely on the creature in Tabitha's hand.  
  
"It's a.." Saul swallowed "Water guardian!"  
  
"Her name is Suzette." Tabitha closed her palm a little and Suzette danced back inside her hand with a light splash. "At first she scared the living hell out of me! I mean, she killed a rat!"  
  
"Yeah. You gotta watch em." Saul said, still staring at her now empty hand. Hermione stepped out of the shadows and stood before Saul, a confrontational expression on her face.  
  
"Saul!" She said roughly "You have to help her! You have lived with your since you where five! You must know something we don't! How to control it, how to keep it hidden!  
  
"I'm so scared Suzette will come out in public! Or if my parents found out! They would hand me to the ministry right away!" Tabitha sobbed.  
  
"It took me a while to convince her not to hand herself in!" Hermione said "We both believe whole heartedly that dark arts must be eliminated! But Tabitha isn't doing this through her own free will!"  
  
Saul scoffed. So, they where just as foolish as the rest of those misguided ministry wizards. Scared shitless of the dark arts. Scared shitless of her own amazing power. Saul hated them both already! "If they catch you, they will destroy Suzette and lock you away in Azkaban. I heard they do terrible things to girls in Azkaban, one as pretty as you wouldn't be overlooked." He said, sneering at their shocked expressions. He swept his hair from out of his eyes and looked hard at her. She was an idiot not to see her own abilities, but he couldn't walk away from another summoner.  
  
"Will you help me or not?" Tabitha gritted her teeth and balled her fists. This Saul guy was a stuck up asshole, just as the rumors about him said.  
  
"Alright."  
  
"Will you show us your guardian?" Hermione asked.  
  
"I'll show her. I won't show you!" Saul spat. "And I can't show you here anyway. It's far too risky."  
  
Tabitha exploded "What? I showed you! If its okay for me to do it here, then it should be okay for you too!"  
  
Saul growled. What a pain in the ass! He looked up, and then held out his palms. "I would get back if I where you." He said. The two girls shifted a few paces back. "Farther! Right back!" Saul barked. They scowled at him and they walked all the way back next to a statue of a badger rearing up on its hind paws. Satisfied that they where out of harms way Saul concentrated. His whole hands glowed and a transparent orange fire flickered about his hands, it traveled up his arms and his whole body seemed to glow. Then with a tremor of energy a gigantic dragon burst from a ball of heat and strived upwards and upwards into the room. Fire fairies swirled and swarmed in the aurora about them, and as the dragon curled itself in the air its tail diminished into the fire that cracked coldly in Saul's palm.  
  
"Oh Gods!" Tabitha fell back and Hermione gaped at the fearful scene.  
  
"This is Satsuma. Don't worry. He won't hurt you." Saul said. Tabitha got shakily to her feet and walked tentatively towards Saul and the vast Satsuma that loomed behind him. She held out her hand again and Suzette spiraled fourth, tiny and gentile in comparison. Hermione watched in awe and disbelief as the minute blue dragon reached upwards with it muzzle, and the huge fiery dragon reached down and touched the little guardian.  
  
"Looks like they are friends." Smiled Saul. He looked composed on the outside, but inside his heart was racing. All his life he had believed he was the only one, and now this girl and her tiny guardian come to find him and Satsuma for help.  
  
"Thank you for agreeing to help us." Tabitha said. Saul had a feeling this was going to be far more trouble than this girl knew. 


	2. Chapter 2

**~** Two **~**  
  
The week for Saul crawled by at a snails pace. He and Tabitha had arranged to meet in the secret statue room after Breakfast on Saturday. When the weekend finally came about Saul had gotten up extra early and dressed (usual black outfit), dashed from the Slytherin Dungeon to the main hall and had wolfed his cereal down in one bite. (The other students ignored him, thinking it was typical for Saul to be doing something weird.) On his way to the painting of the birds in the golden cage he had gotten more than lost, finally a distant chirping lead him to the right spot. He tickled the red bird and looking about disappeared into the secret passage.  
  
"You are late!" A voice called from within. It was Hermione. She sat on a statue of a lion next to Tabitha. Tabitha smiled, two little fangs at the front gleamed.  
  
"What the hell is she doing here?" Saul pointed at Hermione. She bristled moodily and hopped down off the lion.  
  
"Tabitha asked me to come, she's scared!"  
  
"I'm sorry!" Tabitha called over Hermione's rather loud voice. "If its okay with you can she stay?"  
  
"Gaaaaah!" Saul put his head in his hands. He was excited about teaching Tabitha about her newly discovered talents even if she was one of those types brainwashed by the Ministry. But this Hermione was a bossy cow, and it was off putting to have her glaring at him all the time. "Does she have to?"  
  
"Its alright." Hermione stuck her nose in the air and turned on her hell. "I'll wait for you in the Library Tabs. I'm sure you will do fine." And she stalked from the gloomy room without a backwards glance.  
  
Saul huffed as the painting slammed shut (he had never heard a painting slam before) and turned to look at Tabitha. "Soooo." He said, sitting down on the paw of a sleeping stone badger. "Another summoner."  
  
"I am?"  
  
"And a part werewolf too. How come I've never seen you about?"  
  
Tabitha shrugged and sat down next to Saul. She scuffed her feet in the dust "I've been in the same year as you since the first year." She said.  
  
"Well, whaddya know."  
  
"Hermione says its because you walk about in your own. what was it she said again.. Oh yeah, 'selfish little dream world' or something." She smiled.  
  
Saul didn't. He stood up took on a far less friendly tone. He didn't appreciate being badmouthed when he was offering his help. "Lets get started. First things first. You let anybody else know about this you can say byebye to your freedom."  
  
Tabitha looked glumly "I don't do it on purpose!"  
  
"Doesn't matter! The ministry wiped out summoners over a thousand years ago. We are apparently evil agents of the dark lord."  
  
"That's silly!"  
  
"Tell that to the idiots who run the ministry." He sighed. He hated the Ministry. Judging by Tabitha's reaction to his comments he assumed she must love them.  
  
"How can you say that? They struggle endlessly to save us from the dark lord and his followers!" She gasped.  
  
"Yeah whatever. I'm sure before the term is out you will see what I mean. They are now going to struggle endlessly to snuff you out if they find out what you are."  
  
Tabitha wrung her hands and her ears drooped sadly. "This isn't fair!" She shouted suddenly "I have been studying all my life to join the Ministry! This is the worst possible thing that could happen! I hate it. I don't want to learn how to use it, I want to get rid of it!" She burst out in bitter tears and shook all over.  
  
Saul almost felt sorry for her, but not quite. He knew how it was for him when he first found out, but he didn't see it as a bad thing. Satsuma was a blessing! So what if he had to live in secret, it was worth it. "Its okay." He mumbled. "Suzette isn't a bad thing. Remember a few days ago when you where holding her in your hand?"  
  
"Yes." She sniffed.  
  
"It didn't feel horrible did it? At the time you didn't think she was a bad thing right?"  
  
"Well.." She rubbed her eyes and stopped crying "No. She was beautiful."  
  
"How can a thing so beautiful be so bad?" Saul smiled at her and he walked to the back of the room. In a sudden and frightening flash and a deafening roar he held out his hand and Satsuma rushed out wreathed in flames. Flying higher and higher towards the domed ceiling he then hunched over and held his massive head next to Saul's, who petted his nose. "Would you like to say hello to him?" Saul called over.  
  
"Um.." Tabitha slid off the statue and walked over. Satsuma growled deeply in his throat, but a look from Saul silenced him. Slowly she stepped closer, until she stood right by his massive jaw. This close she could see jagged teeth jutting from under his glowing whiskers. "Hello Satsuma." She said and nervously she ran her shaking hand over his muzzle. It looked rough and yet smooth like feathers. Flames dances about this massive dragon and yet he was cool to the touch.  
  
"I first met Satsuma when I was five. He was tiny then." Saul looked lovingly at the dragon. "As the years went by my parents taught me that he was my Guardian, and they taught me how to control him. I can use Satsuma for any purpose I like." His eyes shone "I could use Satsuma to burn down the Ministry and that foul Prison."  
  
"What?" Tabitha stepped back in alarm.  
  
"I said I could. But I haven't. The Guardians are not evil, we control what they do. I could also use Satsuma to help the Ministry and bring down all the darkness left in our world."  
  
"Why don't you?"  
  
"Because the moment they found out a Summoner exists they would probably kill me before I could suggest it to them." He growled with resentment and with a bitter roar Satsuma delved back into nothingness. The room fell dark and silent again.  
  
"How sad." Tabitha looked at Saul with pity and held his hand. He didn't appreciate it and he brushed her off roughly.  
  
"So what is the point of us learning these skills? If we will not use them for evil and cannot use them for good?" Saul said. "Its so we never lose the knowledge. So that we can one day pass what we know onto others. As summoners we owe it to all those killed for what they believed in a thousand years ago. Then maybe in the future summoners like us can practise their art without persecution and help others."  
  
"I think that's a good thing." She said. "Please will you teach me to control Suzette?"  
  
**  
  
That night Saul lay in his bed. All about him the snores of fellow dorm mates mingled with the crackle of the fire. He was on friendly terms with these boys, but could honestly say that he didn't have any friends here. It was better that way, friends get to close. He couldn't let anybody find out about Satsuma. He had pressed the importance of secrecy upon Tabitha too. Today she had done well. She for the first time had communicated with Suzette. Although it was a long way before Suzette would begin to follow her orders. They had agreed to meet every two nights in their secret room. Saul wanted to see Suzette grow, and become strong. He believed it was important to pass the knowledge on, and not let all his parents sacrifices be in vain. With thoughts of his parents swimming in his mind he fell into a troubled slumber.  
  
**  
  
"Mumma? Where are we going?" "Away baby. We have to look after you and little Satsuma." His mothers face was stained with tears, and her eyes where weary and dark. "I haven't got my toys! I want my broom!" "We can't go back. I'm sorry." "Where did Poppa go?" "I'm sorry baby." She gripped him tightly and encompassed him in her embrace. Saul knew his Poppa was in trouble, he had heard his parents arguing last night. "Your Daddy is gone. We wont ever see him again."  
**~~**  
  
Ohhhhhh thank you so much for the reviews. It's been a lone time ne? I'm so happy that people still write to me about 'The Odd Couple'. I read all your e mails, and love getting them ^_^ I'm defiantly back in the writing mood and shall work hard to finish 'Dragons Tear'. And yes! Saul is hot hot hot ^_^ Bless him. I think of him looking like a young version of Muraki from Yami No Matsuei. If any of you are lucky enough to have read/seen it then you know the degree of yummieness we are dealing with here ^.^ 


End file.
